Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wal-Mart unveils strategy to match prices after purchases are made during the holiday season
Wal-Mart unveils strategy to match prices after purchases are made during the holiday season
By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, October 24, 8:59 AM
NEW YORK — Wal-Mart announced a new strategy that it hopes will pull in procrastinators early by giving them a big incentive: a guarantee that they’ll get the lowest price no matter when they buy during the holiday season.The discounter said Monday it will match prices on many of its products. Shoppers who buy something at a Walmart store between Nov. 1 and Dec. 25, but then find the identical product elsewhere for less, can get a gift card in the amount of the difference.
The offer excludes some items, such as groceries.
To qualify, shoppers need to bring in the original Wal-Mart receipt and the local competitor’s print ad. Gift cards will not be given out after Dec. 25.
“The greatest gift we can give our customers this holiday is great low prices on the things they want most,” said Duncan MacNaughton, chief merchandising officer at Wal-Mart’s U.S. division, in a statement. “Wal-Mart is easing shopping stress this Christmas by allowing customers to shop when and how they want, all while guaranteeing low prices through the entire holiday season.”
The holiday price guarantee builds on Wal-Mart’s aggressive everyday price-matching strategy and comes as the world’s largest retailer aims to solidify its position as the low price leader and reverse nine straight quarters of declines in revenue at stores opened at least a year in its U.S. namesake business.
The move also raises the competitive stakes for the 2011 holiday season, which accounts for as much as 40 percent of retailers’ annual revenue. With the job market still weak and the stock market in turmoil, shoppers are focusing on grabbing the lowest price and are using their smartphones to check rivals’ prices in the store aisles and walking away if they’re not getting the best deal.
Heading into the holiday season, a growing number of stores, including Staples Inc. and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., are even matching prices with online-only merchants like Amazon.com to convert browsers into buyers.
Wal-Mart’s price matching for the holidays still excludes Internet retailers, but clearly the latest announcement underscores the discounter’s need to hammer its low-price message even more in a bid to bring back customers it had lost.
Wal-Mart’s U.S. business has been in a slump because of mistakes it made on price and selection. The company is reversing that weak trend and has seen three straight months of revenue gains, starting in July, as it finishes up restoring thousands of products it culled during an overzealous bid to de-clutter its stores.
But reclaiming its reputation as the lowest-prices leader is critical to sustain the improving sales trend. The company, based in Bentonville, Ark., strayed from its bedrock philosophy of “everyday” low prices, and late last year, switched back to emphasizing low prices across the whole store, instead of promoting select items.
This past April, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. launched a series of ad campaigns focusing on its low prices and said it was directing store employees to comb through competitors’ advertisements so price matches at the register would be easier.
But with the latest incentive, Wal-Mart is offering an even more hassle-free way of guaranteeing shoppers they’ll get the best price and giving shoppers more of a reason to go to Wal-Mart first for their holiday needs.
Shoppers don’t have to bring back purchases to Wal-Mart in order to take advantage of better prices elsewhere. They just need to bring in the receipt and the local printed ad to the customer service desk.
Furthermore, even items placed on layaway will be eligible for the company’s “Christmas Price Guarantee” program. Wal-Mart is also hoping to tap into another stream of revenue — by giving shoppers the price difference in the gift cards, it’s hoping customers will come back and spend more than the value of the card
http://walmarthelp.com/
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
MyZmanim.com
USA | > | New York | > | Kings | > | Brooklyn | > | 11230 |
כ"א תשרי תשע"בOctober 19, 2011 | (MyZmanim Location ID: US11230) Daylight saving time | Wednesday |
Dawn | עלות השחר | |
72 minutes as 16.1 degrees | 5:49:51 | 72 דקות לפי 16.1 מעלות |
Earliest Talis & Tefillin | זמן ציצית ותפילין | |
Sun is 10.2 degrees below horizon | 6:20:59 | 10.2 מעלות תחת האופק |
Sunrise | הנץ החמה | |
In a level region | 7:10:55 | במישור |
Latest Shema Magen Avraham | סוף זמן קריאת שמע מגן אברהם | |
Using "72 minutes as 16.1 degrees" | 9:15:10 | לפי 72 דקות במעלות |
Latest Shema Gra & Baal Tanya | 9:55:44 | סוף זמן קריאת שמע גר"א ובעל התניא |
Latest Shachris Gra & Baal Tanya | 10:50:40 | סוף זמן תפילה גר"א ובעל התניא |
Midday & Midnight | 12:40:33 | חצות |
Earliest Mincha | מנחה גדולה | |
LeChumra | 1:10:33 | לחומרא |
Plag HaMincha | פלג המנחה | |
Gra & Baal Tanya | 5:01:31 | גר"א ובעל התניא |
Candle Lighting 18 minutes before sunset | 5:52:12 | הדלקת נרות18 דקות קודם השקיעה |
Sunset | שקיעת החמה | |
In a level region | 6:10:12 | במישור |
Nightfall - 3 Stars | צאת הכוכבים - ג' כוכבים | |
36 minutes as degrees End of Shabbos and Yom Tov | 6:51:04 | 36 דקות במעלות צאת השבת ויום טוב |
Nightfall - 72 minutes | 7:22:12 | צאת הכוכבים - 72 דקות |
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RUBASHKIN PETITION: FINAL PUSH TO GET TO 50,000
RUBASHKIN PETITION: FINAL PUSH TO GET TO 50,000
Wednesday October 19, 2011 3:11 PM - One Comment
[Link below.] As first publicized here on Matzav.com, there is a petition to President Barack Obama asking him to investigate the Rubashkin case, following the recent brazen denial of appeal by the 8th Circuit Court.
Although the petition reached the requisite signatures within hours and has now exceeded 50,000 signatures !!!, and even though it is currently the second highest signed petition in the nation, more signatures are needed to show the White House that this is something that people are taking very seriously. The petition will close this coming Shabbos, on October 22 and organizers would like to reach 50,000, so everyone is asked to vote.
Take a moment to sign the petition and pass it along. Click here.
Continue to daven for Sholom Mordechai ben Rivkah.
{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
Authorities Hunt Down And Kill Nearly 50 Escaped Exotic Animals In Ohio
Wolf, Potentially Diseased Monkey Still On The Loose
PLUS: Park Owner Opened Animals' Cages, Then Killed Himself
ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Sheriff's deputies shot nearly 50 lions, tigers and other beasts in a big-game hunt across the Ohio countryside Wednesday after the owner of a wild-animal park threw their cages open and committed suicide in what may have been one last act of vengeance against neighbors and police.
As homeowners nervously took cover indoors, officers spread out through fields and woods to hunt down about 56 animals, including bears, wolves and monkeys.
After an all-night hunt that extended into the afternoon, 48 animals had been gunned down and six captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo, authorities said. As of midafternoon, the only animals still on the loose were a wolf and a monkey, according to the sheriff's office.
Schools closed in the mostly rural area of widely spaced homes 55 miles east of Columbus. Parents were warned to keep children and pets indoors. And flashing signs along highways told motorists, "Caution exotic animals" and "Stay in vehicle."
Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said at an afternoon news conference that the danger had passed and they could reopen. The animals killed included 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, eight bears and a wolf, he said.
The only animals not found were a wolf and a monkey. Authorities said the monkey should be shot if caught because it could be carrying a disease.
The owner of the privately run Muskingum County Animal Farm, Terry Thompson, left the cages open and the fences unsecured before committing suicide, Lutz said earlier.
Authorities would not say how he killed himself, and Lutz wouldn't speculate on why he did it or why he went out with what appeared to be one last act of vengeance.
But Thompson had had repeated run-ins with the law, and Lutz said the sheriff's office had received numerous complaints since 2004 about animals escaping from the property. Thompson had gotten out of federal prison just last month after serving a year for possessing unregistered guns.
"This is a bad situation," the sheriff said earlier. "It's been a situation for a long time."
__
Associated Press writers Ann Sanner, Julie Carr Smyth and Doug Whiteman contributed to this report.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Weather
Brooklyn, NY (11230) Weather
Updated: Oct 19, 2011, 4:25pm EDT
UPDATE DATASevere Thunderstorms Possible Today
Strong winds and rain are expected in parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Isolated damaging gusts and possibly a tornado are possible in east NC, southeast VA. Read More
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